The Great Mistletoe Infestation of 2001
by deepfriedcake
Summary: An innocent kiss under the mistletoe changes Lorelai's view on love.


**Author's Notes**: This is short and sweet and takes place at Christmas time in Season 2. No new ground is broken here but I absolutely loved writing it and I hope you all love reading it. Happy Holidays to everyone - especially to **Jmaka** for her amazing feats of Christmas baking!

* * *

><p>"I thought this was the best Christmas Walk yet," Rory said. She took off her mittens, shrugged out of her coat and tugged the sparkly headband that boasted reindeer antlers off of her head.<p>

"You say that every year," Lorelai pointed out, closing their front door behind them. She took off her own coat and scarf and hung them by her daughter's on the coat rack but she kept the sequined Santa hat perched on top of her dark curls.

"And every year it's true," Rory insisted. She rubbed her head, trying to massage away the grooves left by the headband while they walked into the living room.

"I will admit, those snowflake sugar cookies at Weston's this year were worth every extra calorie." Lorelai sat down on the couch and motioned for Rory to sit on the floor in front of her. "Do you think Fran slips a little something extra in them? I mean, maybe there's a reason why I can't stop eating them."

"Or maybe you have no self control." Rory leaned her head back against her mother's knees and sighed in relief when Lorelai's hands started to rub through her hair, relieving the ache in her head. "Oh, that's nice."

"Remember that, the next time you call your mother a fatty," Lorelai admonished her, giving her brown locks a little pull.

"I didn't call you a fatty," Rory argued. "I just pointed out that you can eat your weight in sugar cookies."

"And candy canes," Lorelai added when a sticky finger tangled in Rory's hair.

"And gingerbread."

"And hot chocolate."

"And springerle."

"And wassail." Lorelai's stomach made an alarming gurgling sound and she giggled.

"Remind me again. Why don't we weigh 400 pounds?"

"It's the Lorelai Effect. One more reason you owe me undying gratitude."

"Mmm." Rory relaxed momentarily into the soothing scalp massage again, but then gave a bounce and turned to look at Lorelai. "And don't forget the stop at Mary Jo's! That woman could put Fran out of business someday. Everything she bakes is _so_ good, and those nut rolls of hers this year were incredible!"

Lorelai snickered. "I'd say 'dirty'―"

"Mom!"

"― but I promised to curtail that during the holy season."

"You'd better." Rory crawled up on the couch and rested her head against Lorelai's shoulder. "Santa's always watching, you know."

"Creepy."

Rory frowned. "What's creepy?"

"Old pervert in the red suit. Always watching you." She started humming 'Every Breath You Take,' although it's doubtful that Sting and the boys would have recognized it right away.

"Stop," Rory requested with a sigh.

The girls quieted, their minds retracing the events of the night. Lorelai's hand continued to softly stroke Rory's hair.

The Christmas Walk had evolved into a yearly Stars Hollow tradition. No one knew any longer how it had originated, but speculation was that one year after the rehearsal for the Christmas pageant in the Square, a few participants had walked through town together, looking at the homes lit up for the holiday. The next year more people tagged along. Eventually a stop was added at Weston's for sugar cookies and then other homes and businesses began to pass out treats. A voting contest was started for the best Christmas display and the results were revealed during the Christmas Walk. Each year the walk ended with the chilled but spirited walkers shoehorning themselves into Luke's to warm up with hot chocolate.

Rory cleared her throat. "You realize we haven't discussed the most amazing part of the night yet."

Lorelai tensed and slightly pushed away from Rory. "And what might that be?"

"I think it's obvious. Miss Patty's Marauding Mistletoe of Mischief, of course."

Miss Patty had ordered a telescoping wand some time back for use in a dance recital. Five Christmases ago she discovered that she was able to attach a sprig of mistletoe to the end. With practice and cunning she had become quite adapt at catching odd couples underneath her suspended kissing booth. Hysterical laughter and legendary stories often resulted from her efforts.

Lorelai laughed now a little too heartily. "Oh, yes indeed! Mrs. Kim and Taylor! I thought the diner was going to explode from the dark looks they were shooting at Patty!"

"But then they only shook hands," Rory said. "I'm not sure if that even counts."

"Well, how about Andrew and Kirk? That was awesome!"

"Kirk did look willing," Rory conceded, "but Andrew bolted."

"Right into Gypsy," Lorelai said. She winked at Rory. "That seemed to work better."

"It did, didn't it?" Rory smiled in agreement.

"And I didn't even know the girl Caesar got caught with, but neither of them seemed to mind," Lorelai rambled on.

"Yeah, that was great," Rory said, sounding impatient. "But we seem to be skipping right over your own turn under the mistletoe."

"Oh." Lorelai shrugged her shoulders and waved her hands around. "No big deal there."

"There wasn't?" Rory pressed. "Huh. I thought maybe there was."

"Nope. Not at all. Just a Christmas tradition. You know Patty."

"I do know Patty." Rory nodded emphatically, her eyes never wavering from her mother's face. "And I know you."

"Yeah, well, I know me, too. And I can tell you unequivocally that it was no big deal."

"Really. You kiss Luke and it's no big deal?"

"Rory, come on. It's mistletoe. It's a thing. It's like bowing in Japan, or kissing both cheeks in France."

Rory looked unconvinced. "I could swear I saw your eyes do that fluttery-closed thing."

Lorelai scoffed. "If you don't close your eyes you go crossed-eyed, you know that. Not an attractive look."

"And you appeared to be sort of clutching at him."

Whatever good humor Lorelai had been striving to maintain evaporated. "Just trying to keep my balance," she said shortly.

"Here I thought you were ready to treat us to a foot pop." Rory jumped off the couch and turned, throwing her arms up around an imaginary beau and raising one heel, smirking at her mother over her shoulder as she completed the illustration.

A grim look settled down over Lorelai's face. "You can tease me about this all you want, but don't say anything to Luke, OK? The poor guy was embarrassed enough."

Rory's hands went to her hips as she stared at Lorelai. "I didn't get the impression that Luke was embarrassed at all."

"Well, I might be in a much better position to know what Luke was feeling. Just let it drop. For his sake, if not mine. OK?"

Rory continued to study her mother for another few seconds. "I won't say anything around Luke," she agreed. "But I reserve the right to hold this over you for as long as I deem it funny."

"That's your prerogative," Lorelai said calmly. "Just as it's mine to count up how many times tonight you and Dean managed to find a piece of mistletoe. You wanna talk about the fluttery eyelid thing? How about when we were at Patty's, and you climbed up on top of the pile of yoga mats ―"

Rory turned abruptly and headed for her room. "My headache's back. Think I'll just go to bed."

"Ha!" Lorelai crowed triumphantly. "You can dish it out but you can't take it, can you little girl?"

"Goodnight!" Rory shouted, diving into her room. "I'd chew some Tums before going to bed if I were you!" Her door slammed behind her.

"Tums," Lorelai muttered under her breath, staring over at the lights on the Christmas tree. She was pretty sure that the chalky calcium tablets wouldn't do a thing to relieve what was churning around inside of her tonight.

* * *

><p>It seemed like half the town ― at least ― was crammed into Luke's. Every chair and stool was taken and the rest of the overflow was pressed up against every flat surface. The noise level was insane. Neighbors were calling across the room to each other. Parents were yelling at their kids. Someone started singing 'Good King Wenceslaus' and at least a dozen people joined in.<p>

Kyle and Vicki Griffin were showing off their trophy for Best Holiday Lights for the sixth year in a row. Kyle owned a tree-trimming service and had access to a cherry-picker, enabling him to drape lights over their rooftop and even the tallest trees in their yard with ease. No one could compete with them, although many had tried.

Miss Patty had caught Kirk and Andrew under her roving mistletoe a half hour earlier and people were still laughing about it. Babette and Morey were attempting to dance to 'Jingle Bell Rock' in one corner. Rory was standing contentedly in front of Dean, his arms wrapped around her as they swayed in time to the music. Caesar and the cute unknown redhead were parked in the doorway to the kitchen, apparently trading contact information.

Lorelai fought her way to the counter and leaned over it as far as she could, trying to grab Luke's arm as he rushed past.

"I'm a little busy here!" he barked at her, shaking off her hand.

"I know!" she yelled back, trying to make herself heard. "That's why I thought maybe I could come back there and make my own drink!"

"No way." His stern face cemented the denial of that idea.

"Luke," she whined, treating him to her pouty look. "I just wanted to save you some trouble."

"You want cocoa like usual, right?" he confirmed quickly, trying not to sigh. "What else? With extra whipped cream?"

"No, I've got this great idea." She leaned across even further in her excitement, smiling brightly. "Why don't you fix me a cup of half cocoa, half coffee? Topped off with whipped cream and chocolate syrup? It'll be great," she said, trying to convince him.

"Do I look like I've got time to fix you a special order?" he snapped.

"It won't take you any longer," she insisted. "Not really. You pour this, you pour that ― how hard can it be?"

"Lorelai, I don't have time ―" He broke off his rebuttal as everyone suddenly seemed to be pointing and shouting at them.

Movement made Lorelai look up. And there was the mistletoe, quivering above them, Miss Patty's magic wand stretched out to its limit to reach them.

"Now I've got you!" Miss Patty's deep laugh washed over them. "I've been trying to catch the two of you under this for five years!"

The first reaction was nothing but shock for both of them. Lorelai had always tried to keep tabs on Patty's whereabouts on this night and she figured Luke did the same. It was sheer carelessness ― and her desire for mocha ― that had allowed her to get trapped like this.

The next response was almost relief. Finally. Finally there was an excuse to lock lips. A mandated reason to experiment. A few moments to satisfy years of wondering. She swore Luke looked like he was thinking the same thing.

"Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!" Babette began to chant, and soon everyone in the diner joined in.

Lorelai looked at Luke in understanding and shrugged. "I think we need to just do this and get it over with," she told him sympathetically. "Before the peasants revolt completely and take over the diner."

"Geez," he muttered. He put down the cups he'd been carrying.

She braced her hands on the counter and hoisted herself over towards him. She planned to give him a quick, pleasant kiss on the lips, enough to quiet the peanut gallery but not lingering enough to embarrass either of them. Business-like, she decided. Cordial. Although she was already planning on pretending to swoon when she turned back around to face everyone, just to make the crowd laugh.

And then…All of her careful plans went awry.

Luke leaned towards her, looking so sweet and yet so sad that her heart lurched and then nearly broke in two. His hand touched her face, his long fingers stretching along her jaw, his fingertips softly nestling behind her ear. His thumb found a home under her chin, which he tipped upwards ever so gently.

That was when her eyelids fluttered closed.

She smelled a slight scent of peppermint and then she felt his lips tighten over her mouth. Her thrilled heart began a staccato beat, trying to tap out a message that went something like 'oh-my-god-oh-my-god-oh-my-god.' She responded to his kiss, forgetting all about business-like and cordial.

That was when her hand found a niche in the front of his flannel.

He started to pull away and she stopped him, quickly leaving one more tender kiss on his lips. A kiss more like the one she'd planned on giving him to start with.

Her eyes opened slowly and she saw Luke watching her with curiosity. Some regret was mixed in, maybe. She wasn't sure about that and she didn't have time to ponder it because almost immediately they both became aware that something odd was going on around them.

The diner had fallen completely silent. No one was laughing. No one was shouting at them to get a room, or suggesting that they could have done it better. Everyone seemed to be holding their breath and watching them.

Lorelai saw a flush of annoyance beginning to darken Luke's cheeks. To break the mood she grabbed his hand and gave it a firm shake, nodding her head at him curtly. It was a perfect imitation of the interaction between Taylor and Mrs. Kim earlier in the evening, and it worked to restore the party-like atmosphere in the room. Instantly people were laughing and talking again.

"Well done, you two!" Miss Patty cried, clapping her hands as soon as she'd reeled in the mistletoe. "That was worth the five years' wait!"

Luke started to move away but Lorelai grabbed his arm. "We're OK?" she asked him, as quietly as possible.

"Sure," he said, with possibly a touch more gruffness in his voice than normal. His fingers barely grazed hers, where she held his arm. Then he scooped up the cups from the counter and went back to work.

Lorelai shakily pushed back her hair and turned around, and was at once engulfed by a herd of curious townspeople. She was teased about the kiss and more than one lady in attendance begged for a play-by-play describing what it had been like to kiss Luke Danes. She tried to let her crackerjack personality shine, although she knew she really wasn't on her game anymore.

Something brushed against her elbow and when she looked down she saw a frothy mug waiting on her. When she sipped at it she found it was filled with half cocoa, half coffee, mixed up just for her.

Not much later Sookie rescued her and pulled her into a quieter corner of the room. "Well, how was it?" Sookie asked eagerly.

Lorelai didn't even try to pretend she didn't know what Sookie was asking. "Nice," she said, slowly. The usually teaming Thesaurus in her brain seemed to be missing most of the pages. She searched for some quips to tide her over and found none. "Christmas-y," she added, since Sookie seemed to be waiting for more description.

"Christmas-y?" Sookie's brow creased. "What's that mean?"

Lorelai licked her lips thoughtfully and tried hard to find a better explanation. "Peppermint-y," she finally murmured.

"Oh!" Sookie's eyes lit up. "Those are the best ones!" she exulted, and squeezed Lorelai to her in a happy hug.

"Yeah," Lorelai said weakly. She looked over her friend's shoulder, her eyes tracking Luke's every move.

* * *

><p>She'd been staring at the Christmas lights for a long time, replaying the scene in the diner over and over. When at last she finally got up to head to bed, her legs were stiff and she had a crick in her neck.<p>

Lorelai turned off the lights and started upstairs. She was very much aware that the few seconds she'd spent kissing Luke had done nothing to erase that tiny pool of speculation she'd lived with for six years. It had done nothing to bury that teensy-tiny crush on him she never admitted she had. In fact, the only thing those few moments of closeness had done was to strip away the careful layer of denial she'd super-glued in place to keep peace with her hormones.

For six years her official policy had been to ignore that Luke was a guy. He was a friend. He had necessary handyman skills. He poured a mean cup of coffee and made a dynamite burger. But he was not a guy. He did not have incredibly soft lips. He did not know how to cradle a woman's face with strong yet gentle fingers. His flannel shirts were absolutely _not_ removable. Those were the rules that kept her safe and drool-free in the diner.

Lorelai remembered far too well how her blood used to race through her teenaged body right before she'd climb out of her window in Hartford to go do something stupid.

Thank God her sensible adult bedroom lacked a balcony or any easy means of escape.

* * *

><p>"Hey, Luke! Hi," Lorelai said nervously into the phone the next afternoon. "Are you busy right now?" She twirled a piece of hair with her free hand and shifted from one foot to the other, waiting on his reply.<p>

"I'm running my business, Lorelai. Of course I'm busy," he said. She could feel him rolling his eyes even over the phone.

"Oh. Um, OK." She squeezed her eyes shut tight and gave her mouth free rein. "Listen, I've got a huge leak in my kitchen sink and it's driving me crazy. Is there any chance you could get over here to take a look at it? The plumber can't come until tomorrow."

"Where's the leak?" She could sense his attitude shifting. She knew she should feel guilty and appalled at her subterfuge, but in fact she wasn't ashamed at all.

"It's underneath. In that U-thingy. I've got a bucket under it but it's really bad."

"Did you turn off the water?" he asked patiently.

"Uh…no."

"I showed you how. Don't you remember?"

She shook her head before she remembered he couldn't see her. "Sorry. Guess I wasn't paying enough attention."

"OK." He sighed. "Let me finish up a few things here and I'll be right over. Give me about 15 minutes."

"That's…that's great, Luke," she stuttered out. "I'll see you then. Thanks," she added, the guilt suddenly kicking in big time.

"I _so_ sounded like I had a chick loose in the house," she told herself in disgust.

She put down the phone and sat on the couch, waiting for his knock on the door. She sat motionlessly, reminding herself periodically to breathe.

When the knock did come she nearly shot through the ceiling. Lorelai sprang up and tugged down the short red-plaid skirt she had on. For the first time since getting dressed it occurred to her that she could look like she was trying to look like a private-school girl instead of merely holiday-appropriate. Too late now. The heels on her tall black boots click-clacked as she raced to the door.

In the entry she glanced in the mirror, running a hand over her hair and smoothing down her black form-fitting sweater. One last gulp of air and she reached for the doorknob.

"Hi Luke!" she chirped out, perhaps a little bit too brightly. "Hi Bert!" she added, waving at the toolbox by his side. She opened the door further and Luke stepped in and to the side, making room for her to close the door. That was when she saw that her calculations had worked perfectly.

"Let's go see how bad it is," he said. Right before he started to move she reached out and held his arm, keeping him in place. He looked at her quizzically and she silently pointed up over his head, to the mistletoe she'd taped to the ceiling not an hour before.

Luke stared upwards for a long moment. She watched the muscles in his neck work as he swallowed hard. Then he lowered his gaze to her. He didn't say anything. He didn't look angry but he didn't look happy, either. His eyebrows tilted together, silently asking her for an explanation.

"It's mistletoe!" she said, once again sounding far too perky. "How about that?" She chanced tossing her hair a little bit, but then her mind went blank. What else did she do when she was trying to flirt?

Luke seemed to be weighing his responses. "I think we can probably ignore it this time, don't you?" Once again he prepared to step away.

"Luke!" She and her boots jumped to get in front of him. "Come on! You don't want to piss off the holiday folklore gods, do you? Why take the chance? It's seven years bad luck or something, isn't it?"

"That's mirrors," he mumbled, staring down at the floor. When he looked back up he searched her face, his eyes tracking back and forth between hers. Finally he sighed and bent towards her, pecking her lips with the shortest kiss on record. Instantly he straightened and charged towards the living room.

"Well, _that_ was wasted," Lorelai huffed, complaining to herself.

Luke didn't get very far. He immediately saw another piece of mistletoe hanging in the doorway dividing the entry from the living room and stopped cold. Cautiously he peered into the room on the other side.

"Lorelai, what the hell?" he demanded, waving his arm at the living room, which was sprigged with mistletoe from every conceivable spot.

"Um, I got a good deal at the plant center?" Lorelai suggested, feeling more and more anxious about the feasibility of her plan.

Bert thunked to the floor and Luke stomped into the living room, turning around to survey her handiwork. "Man, this is just so typical of you! Everything always has to be a scheme. It's all such a big joke to you, isn't it? Heaven forbid you'd come to me and say, 'Hey, Luke, we kissed yesterday and it wasn't half bad. What would you think about trying it again or maybe going out on a date?' But no, that's not your style! I guess it's just more fun for you to try and trick me into it, is that it?"

"And now you're mad," Lorelai whispered, feeling miserable.

He swung his arms around in agitation a few times before his hands landed on his hips. "I'm not…I'm not mad." He blew out a breath, his eyes bouncing from one mistletoe sprig to the next. "Not exactly. I just don't like feeling like I was lured here. I don't appreciate feeling like the butt of a joke."

Lorelai lurched past him and sat down on the couch, wringing her hands while her stomach felt like she'd eaten too many sugar cookies again. "I didn't mean it as a joke, Luke. I'm sorry that you see it that way."

He hunched his shoulders and then rubbed at his face. "Forget it. I'll just get out of here. Unless your sink really is leaking?"

She shook her head and he nodded, stepping backwards to retrieve Bert.

"Did you know that mistletoe is a parasite?" she asked in desperation.

"What?" He turned to scowl at her.

"Mistletoe." Her lips felt numb but she tried to smile. "I was up late last night. I read up on mistletoe. It's a parasite, or a partial one, at least. It's capable of photosynthesis, but until it's strong enough for that it latches onto a host plant and gets nutrients that way."

"OK." Luke gave a small shrug. "I guess I'd heard that."

"Is that what I am?" she pressed.

"What are you talking about?" He stopped and looked at her.

"A parasite. Is that how you see me?" She huddled forward and wrapped her arms around her knees.

"Lorelai, no." He dropped the toolbox again and came slowly over to the couch. "Of course not." He sat down gingerly beside her.

"But it sounds pretty much like me, doesn't it? I lean on you a lot. I depend on Sookie at work. Hell, I'm even using my parents to get Rory through school. Every time the house needs something I beg you to come over here and fix it. Sounds pretty parasitic to me."

He was shaking his head strongly now. "That's not how I see you at all. And I hope you don't think that I mind coming over here and helping you with the repairs, because I don't. I think it's great if I can save you a buck or two. There's nothing wrong with friends helping each other out."

"But ―"

"Listen," he said firmly, shifting his body so he could look at her. "What d'ya call that other sort of relationship? Symbiotic? That's what we've got."

"I'm not sure ―"

"Yes, we do," he insisted. "We depend on each other. We help each other out."

She looked at him skeptically. "When have I ever helped you out?" she asked, sounding amused at the idea.

"Tons of times," he said gruffly. "You painted my diner just last year. You tried to smooth things over with Rachel because you thought that was what I wanted. When Jess first got here, you tried to give me advice but I was too stupid to listen to you. You stood up to the whole town about him, even though you don't care much for him yourself. And…" He trailed off, looking away uncomfortably. "You brighten my day, Lorelai," he said haltingly. "You make me laugh, even if I don't let you see that all the time. I look forward to hearing the bells ring and seeing you come in through the door."

"Why…Luke," she said faintly, rather stunned.

He clasped his hands between his knees and stared at them. "You're probably one of the best friends I've ever had, if I'm being honest."

She felt like she was either going to cry or do something stupid, so she went with the stupid. She put her hand on his knee and started out tentatively.

"Luke. Um, you know, we kissed yesterday, and it wasn't half bad. In fact, it was pretty gosh-darn awesome, if you want to know the truth. And, uh, I really wouldn't mind doing it again. Or going on a date. Or preferably both, actually. How ... How would you feel about that?"

She felt him freeze. He continued to stare fixedly at his hands. Silence built up between them.

"Oh. Oh, God." She snatched her hand from his knee and used it to cover her face. "Oh, God!" she groaned again, leaning away from him as far as possible. "I walked right into that one, didn't I? How dumb am I? You just told me you think of me as a friend! You have no desire to date me or ― or kiss me, do you?"

That snapped him out of his trance and he spun around to face her again. "You think I don't _want_ to kiss you?" he yelled incredulously. "Oh, for ―" His patience shot, he grabbed her by her shoulders, turning her to him. One hand anchored the back of her head as his mouth firmly met hers.

This kiss was totally different from the one the day before. It was fierce and pulsed with want and need, and Lorelai felt like she was rushing backwards into a dizzying swirl of longing. She locked her arms around his neck, using the warm strength of him as an anchor. She barely noticed her head hitting the arm of the couch but she registered the weight of him on top of her. She moaned into his mouth while trying to press him still closer to her.

As quickly as it began, it was over. Luke jumped up off of her, sprang from the couch, and instantly began to pace.

"No, I don't want to kiss you, Lorelai! I've never thought about kissing you at all! Except for maybe once or twice." He stopped and looked up at the ceiling in desperation. "Mind you, that's once or twice _a day_," he clarified, pointing at her. He began the pacing again. "Once or twice or three times a day, _every day_, for the past _six_ years! But no, other than _that_, I don't want to kiss you at all!"

Lorelai had managed to pull herself upright and was trying to catch her breath. She would have gotten up to go over to him but her knees were knocking together. "Wow. That's…that's a lot for me to take in," she said hesitantly. "To know that you've thought about me like that for that long. To know that you've been ― for six years ―" She gulped. "Wow," she feebly said again.

Luke stopped his pacing and scrubbed at his face. He sighed heavily. "I know," he said bleakly. With another sigh he looked around the room and apparently decided it was wise to change the topic. "So how many of these things do you have?" he asked, pointing at one of the mistletoe bunches.

"A dozen," Lorelai admitted.

"That's impressive," he told her. He walked over beside the staircase, where one sprig was sticking out from the top of the banister. "What were your plans to get me to stand here?"

Lorelai finally felt like she was able to get up. She joined him in looking up at the mistletoe hovering above them. "I thought maybe I'd ask you to look at something loose on the railing."

He nodded. "That might've worked," he commented. He inclined his head towards the stairs. "Are there any up there?"

Lorelai gasped, not expecting him to say anything like that. "No," she told him, raising an eyebrow. "But I'm curious. What would you do if there was?"

He gave her a wry smile. "I'd probably stay down here."

"Really?" She was beginning to regain her composure. "You wouldn't want to come upstairs?"

"Would I want to?" Luke chuckled ruefully. "Oh, I'd want to, all right. But I don't often do what I want to."

Lorelai looked at him soberly. "I guess I know that about you."

Luke leaned against the staircase, crossing him arms across his chest. "You probably also know that I'm not the type of guy that just leaps into things, either. I need some time to consider the consequences. I need some time to think about what my actions are going to mean down the road. I've got Jess to think about now, too. So the kissing and the dating thing, it isn't something I can give you an answer to right this minute."

"Luke." Lorelai was shaking her head, thinking he'd misread her intentions. "I'm just talking about a few dates here. You know, just to see how compatible we really are. I'm talking about some meals and some movies and hopefully some laughs. I'm not asking you for a lifetime commitment or anything like that." She shot him a grin and winked.

"I know," he said, looking at her straight on. His face and his voice were 100% serious. "But what if I am?"

She gasped for the second time in two minutes. "Then I guess I'd ― I'd need some time to think about that, too."

"Then we're in agreement." He reached out and carefully pushed some hair back behind her ear. "Could I get you to come a little closer here?" he asked hopefully.

"Like this?" Lorelai asked, smiling as she stepped up to him. She put her arms around his neck.

"Just like this," Luke agreed, his arms circling her waist. He kissed her tenderly this time. And then again, not quite as tenderly. And then a third time, just for good measure.

"Thought I should make sure you got your money's worth," he whispered into her ear, holding her tightly.

"I'm satisfied," she told him breathlessly. "I'm definitely satisfied."

"Good." He tried to hold back a chuckle but it broke out. "Although I would like to see you satisfied someday," he muttered, grinning.

"Luke!" She laughed in surprise and playfully smacked at his chest. "This is a side I didn't know you had."

"Yeah, well, there are a lot of things you might not know about me."

"I'm starting to realize that."

Luke glanced at his watch. "I need to get back to the diner," he said regretfully. He grabbed up his toolbox on the way to the door. "Will I see you later?"

"Probably not. It's Friday night. You know what that means," Lorelai reminded him with a grimace. She followed him to the door.

"But you're going to find time to think about this, right? You'll think about whether you're in this for a couple of dates or if ― Well, you'll think about it, right?"

Lorelai shook her head in wonder. "I doubt that I'll be able to think about anything else."

Luke nodded and was bending closer to make use of the mistletoe at the front door one more time when it opened without warning.

Rory stood there, looking at them doubtfully. "Um, hi?" she faltered.

"You're home early!" Lorelai said, her too-bright voice making a comeback.

"Same time as always," Rory countered. She eyed Luke speculatively.

"Your sink's OK," Luke barked out, shaking Bert. "I gotta go."

"Bye, Luke." Rory was biting back a laugh.

"Bye, Luke." Lorelai's goodbye was silky sweet. She maneuvered past Rory and slipped out on the porch to watch Luke get into his truck, crossing her arms against the cold Christmas air.

Before she could step back inside, Rory was out on the porch again. "Mom, did you realize that our house is infested with mistletoe?"

Lorelai pretended shock. "No! Really?"

"I assumed that was why Luke was here, to help with the infestation."

"Well, I asked him, but he said that was beyond his area of expertise."

"Really." Rory eyed her mother thoughtfully. "Then maybe I'd better get Dean over here. He's nice and tall. Maybe he could help."

Lorelai chuckled. "Nice try, Kid. Not gonna happen. You'd better go and get ready for the trip to Hartford instead."

* * *

><p>Later that night Lorelai drove as slowly as she could past the diner, but it was dark and obviously locked up for the night. She tried not to let her disappointment show.<p>

"I know I've been teasing you mercilessly about this, but go ahead and stop if you want to," Rory said, as usual not missing a thing going through Lorelai's head. "I can drive on home myself."

"No, it's fine," Lorelai said, smiling once again at her amazing daughter. "We decided that we needed some time apart to think things through."

Rory turned towards her and Lorelai could see the thoughtful frown on her face. "What sort of things?"

Lorelai felt her heart starting to beat a little bit faster. "Just to make sure that we're on the same page about this. That we're both looking for the same things in a relationship."

"Why, Ms. Gilmore," Rory laughed, "how mature of you."

"Shocking, isn't it?" Lorelai agreed with a grin.

They pulled in front of their house and a tall figure stood up from where he'd been waiting on the steps.

"Dean's here already!" Rory said happily, throwing off her seat belt.

"That's not Dean," Lorelai said with her heart in her mouth.

"Oh," Rory said, looking closer. "Oh!" she said then, looking at her mother.

Luke met the girls halfway. He gave a shy nod at them both.

"Are you back to help with the mistletoe problem?" Rory asked him soberly. "It's taken over the house, you know."

"I…Uh…No. No, that's not why I'm here." He threw a desperate look at Lorelai.

"Leave Luke alone. Go call your boyfriend," Lorelai scolded her. As soon as Rory had trotted off she smiled bashfully at Luke. "Hi," she said softly.

"Hi," he repeated, and for a few brief moments they stood in excruciating silence, neither sure what to say next.

"So do you want to come in?" Once Lorelai's words came, they almost tumbled on top of themselves. "We're going to watch the Muppet Christmas Carol. It's a thing with us. Dean's coming over, too. You'll love it."

"The Muppets?" Luke was looking at her like she really was crazy. "The Muppets did a Christmas Carol?"

"Yep." Lorelai nodded madly. "It's the best version ever. Gonzo is Charles Dickens."

"Is Gonzo the blue one? The one with the…" Luke held his hand haphazardly in front of his nose, mimicking Gonzo's broken beak.

"That's Gonzo all right. He knows Dickens like the back of his hand." She looked at Luke hopefully. "So you'll stay?"

"I don't think so. I really just wanted to talk to you for a bit."

"Oh, well, talk away. I hope you weren't waiting out here long."

"No. I know by now when to expect you back from Hartford."

Lorelai nodded, moving from one cold foot to the other. "What did you want to talk about?" she prompted him.

Luke reached for her hand and started to step away from the shoveled path, urging her to follow him. "Come over here."

"Luke, I can't!" She planted her heels in the path.

For the first time Luke looked down at her feet. He looked back up, flabbergasted. "You don't have on boots," he muttered. "Lorelai, it's the middle of December in Connecticut! Why don't you have on boots? Are you crazy?"

"Because I just came from Emily Gilmore's house, the style maven of Hartford. Do you think my mother would let me wear snow boots in her house?"

"But ― Driving the Jeep! What would you do if it broke down and you had to get out? And here you are, with your toes sticking out and your heels and ankles all bare, and nothing practical on your feet ―" He was working up to a pretty good rant, but he caught himself and stopped. "Maybe that should be a conversation for another time."

"_I_ think so." Lorelai was feeling rather smug ― if cold ― when Luke bent over with no warning and hoisted her up over his shoulder. She shrieked like a 12-year-old girl meeting 'N Sync unexpectedly and Luke put her right back down, his hand covering her mouth.

"Don't do that!" he hissed at her in warning. "Do you want Babette out here too?"

"You just took me by surprise." Lorelai was breathing hard and leaned on Luke to steady herself. "I never expected you to be such a hands-on type of guy."

"Again, there may be a lot you don't know." He took a step back and raised an eyebrow at her. "Ready now?"

"Sure," she said with a delighted laugh. He slung her over his shoulder again and she stifled the desire to shriek again. Instead she giggled while she bounced.

"This is not an elegant way to travel," she observed.

"No, but I've got a great view," Luke told her.

A little bit more jostling and Luke lowered her down under the chuppah. Obviously he'd already been there because the snow had been cleared away from under it.

"What are we doing back here?" Lorelai was mystified.

Luke pointed upwards silently and Lorelai started giggling again.

"Luke, that's not mistletoe. I'm pretty sure those are green seedless grapes."

Luke didn't seem too concerned about that. "Somebody wiped out the mistletoe supply in Stars Hollow. I was forced to improvise."

"Improvisation. Another attribute I didn't know about," Lorelai murmured as he moved closer, wrapping her in his arms.

This kiss was long and deep and warmed up certain parts of her quite nicely. "Luke," she whispered when it was over.

"Hmm?" His mouth was still exploring her ear and neck.

"I can't feel my toes." He stopped and pulled back. She smiled at him, trying not to shiver. "So even though this is incredibly romantic, can you please tell me whatever it is you want to say? Did you come to a decision about the whole dating thing?"

Luke shook his head, looking abashed. "Believe me, _that_ decision was made before Rory even opened up the door on us today. I just wanted you to have some time to think, or change your mind if you felt like it. I didn't want you to rush into anything."

"Oh." Lorelai nodded, not sure how else to respond.

"Look, I understand what you were saying about how we should date and get used to each other like that, but it seems to me we're already past the 'getting to know you' stage, and as much fun as I expect the kissing, hands-on stuff to be, if that's all there is between us, it isn't going to last very long. And frankly, Lorelai, I want more than that. I thought it was only fair that you knew that." He shuffled his feet for a moment, first looking up at the grapes and then over at the neighbor's Christmas lights before his eyes came back to her face. "How nervous is that making you? Is it scaring you?"

Lorelai gulped before she nodded hesitantly. "I think so. A little bit. But you know, there's bad scared, like when there's a zombie waiting in the parking lot to eat your brains, or when you're just turning 16 and you have to tell your parents that you're pregnant. Those things are terrifying. But then there's the good sort of scared, like waiting to ride a roller coaster, or opening your own business, or…maybe taking a chance on starting a relationship with a great guy. That's when you're scared, but you know that everything will turn out awesome if you're just brave enough to take the chance. And I'm pretty sure this is the good sort of scared."

Luke blew out a breath. "You're willing to take a chance on me?"

"I don't think that there's much of a probability that you're a bad bet, Luke. You're a sure thing. But I am willing to take a chance on us. I want to see how much more there is besides the kissing and the hands-on part, too."

Luke put his hands on top of her shoulders, frowning into her face. "You're sure?"

"I'm frozen solid, Luke. I'll say anything to get you to let me inside to warm up," she quipped. His face fell and she felt terrible for teasing him. "I'm sure. The certainty factor is right up there alongside how sure I am that Rory is an amazing, perfect kid." She placed her gloved hands on either side of his face. "I'm absolutely sure, Luke. I think I have been since the moment you first touched me last night."

Luke pushed on, anxious to throw up every obstacle. "Even if it means you have to deal with Jess?"

She couldn't completely stop the sour look that crossed her face. "I swear I'm going to find some way to break through to him. I don't know how, but I'll do it, and not just for you. I'll do it because whether Jess wants to admit it or not, I think we understand each other. And I think he could use another friend."

Luke crushed her to him, then kissed her temple gently. "Thank you."

"No thanking needed," she insisted. "We've got this symbiotic relationship going on here, remember?"

Luke chuckled. "I did forget that," he admitted. He continued to hold her tightly for a few more moments before he gave a heartfelt sigh. Then he kissed her once more. "Let's get you inside."

She expected him to toss her over his shoulder again but instead he gathered her up in his arms, the way a bridegroom might when carrying his bride over the threshold. Being in his arms all the way from the chuppah to the front door made her all shivery inside from something other than the 24-degree air temperature.

"You're lighter than I expected," he teased her while carefully placing his feet on the snow. "I figured you actually weighed 400 pounds and just knew how to camouflage it."

"It's the Lorelai Effect. I'll explain it to you someday," she promised.

He let her down in front of the door but she kept her arms circled around his neck. "Don't go. Come in with me. If you can't stomach the Muppets I'll find something else, but I'm not ready for you to go yet. I've got a house full of mistletoe and two hormone-driven teenagers. Stay here and help me chaperone."

"If you want me to stay, I'll stay, but I don't know how good of a chaperone I'll be. I might be more tempted to show the youngsters how it's done."

"And here Rory thinks I don't have any self control," Lorelai said in delight. "See? We have more in common than anyone thinks!"

Luke put his hand on the doorknob but Lorelai stopped him, wanting one more moment alone. "Merry Christmas, Luke."

The look on his face suggested he'd just gotten the best gift ever. "Merry Christmas, Lorelai."

And then they shared a mistletoe-free kiss before stepping inside the warm house.


End file.
